QNAP TS-431XeU 4-Bay NAS Enclosure

Designed for growing businesses looking for backup, restoration, private cloud, storage for virtualization, and to future-proof their IT infrastructure for 10GbE networks, the TS-431XeU 4-Bay NAS Enclosure from QNAP is a 1 RU rackmount NAS with a short depth design that is suitable for compact racks or places with lots of cabling. It provides versatile all-in-one functionality with features including VJBOD (Virtual JBOD), which is a cost-effective way to utilize unused NAS storage space foe expanding the storage capacity of other QNAP NAS devices, plus Container Station, which allows users to develop and deploy Internet of Things (IoT) apps.

The TS-431XeU is powered by a 1.7 GHz Alpine AL-314 Quad-Core processor, which will allow you to run multiple applications simultaneously. The 8GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM has a configuration of 1 x 8GB and will allow quick access to frequently used file and programs. Network connectivity is achieved using the one 10 Gigabit SFP+ port and two Gigabit Ethernet ports which offers multiple port-trunking modes, including fail-over support. There is also support for JBOD, single disk, and a variety of RAID modes, including RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10, each of which offers data redundancy, speed, or a combination of both.

This 4-bay enclosure has the ability to natively house both 3.5" and 2.5" SATA III hard drives or SSD drives, and screws are included that accommodate each drive size. With the 10GbE ports in use, the TS-431XeU can deliver upload speeds of up to 1055 MB/s and download speeds of up to 580 MB/s. When using the 10GbE port with AES 256-bit volume encryption, download speeds top out at 362 MB/s and upload speeds deliver up to 345 MB/s. Using the four external USB 3.0 Type-A ports, this QNAP NAS can be connected to other devices, such as QNAP expansion units. The integrated AES 256-bit encryption helps to prevent sensitive business data from unauthorized access and breaches.

QNAP s TS-431XeU 4-Bay NAS Enclosure operates using a 100W power supply that run using 100-240 VAC at 50/60 Hz. Included is an Ethernet cable, a power cord, 3.5" HDD flat head screws, 2.5" HDD flat head screws, two hangers, and two holders. Protection is provided by a limited 2-year warranty.

General Features

Small Footprint, Big Opportunities

Compared to a traditional 4-bay rackmount NAS, the TS-431XeU has a depth of only 11.46" . This makes the TS-431XeU a solid choice for smaller racks, and the unused space can be reserved for cabling or ventilation. The TS-431XeU is space-saving for flexible deployment and is especially suitable for multiple locations and applications including offices, audiovisual rooms, and security surveillance recording.

1.7 GHz Quad-Core CPU and 10GbE SFP+ Port

The TS-431XeU is equipped with a 1.7 GHz Annapurna Labs Alpine AL314 Quad-Core ARM Cortex-A15 processor, SATA III 6 Gb/s connectivity, and 8GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 RAM. Its encryption acceleration engine provides AES 256-bit full NAS volume encryption, boosting system performance & security while also ensuring the safety of sensitive business data. Besides two Gigabit Ethernet ports, the TS-431XeU also includes a 10GbE SFP+ port to fully support 10GbE high-speed networks for businesses that demand higher bandwidth for virtualization and fast backup & restoration of an ever-growing amount of data.

SSD Cache Acceleration

The TS-431XeU supports SSD caching to boost the IOPS performance of storage volumes to increase operational efficiency. It is good for improving the overall workflow of IOPS-demanding applications and allows the best of both cost and performance by combining SSDs with HDDs.

Reduce the Impact of Ransomware or System Failures with Snapshots

The TS-431XeU supports snapshots, which can record the system status and data at any single moment. If the system unexpectedly fails or is infected with ransomware, you can instantly restore files from a snapshot. The intuitive snapshot tool in the QTS Storage Manager can be used to take snapshots of your data and restore data from snapshots if necessary. Always take regular snapshots to help ensure the safety of your files and data.

High Reliability Design Helps Ensure Business Continuity

The business-ready TS-431XeU is designed to provide 24/7 operations and services. The support for comprehensive RAID configurations and hot-swapping allow for replacing hard drives without service interruption. QNAP s advanced RAID recovery technology also helps if any healthy drives are accidentally removed from a degraded RAID volume. The system can be recovered by reinserting the wrongly-removed hard drives so the data can still be accessible. The TS-431XeU delivers high reliability and efficiency with support for multiple port-trunking modes including fail-over support.

VJBOD: Maximize Storage Utilization Across Multiple QNAP NAS

Besides using expansion enclosures, there is an additional option to expand NAS storage capacity. QNAP VJBOD (Virtual JBOD) is network-based JBOD, allowing you to expand the storage of a QNAP NAS with multiple QNAP NAS units. The TS-431XeU offers strong potential for economically expanding the storage of other QNAP NAS with VJBOD, and to create virtual storage pools and volumes on virtual disks for operating NAS services

Rapidly Deploy IoT Apps with Container Station

QNAP Container Station exclusively integrates LXC and Docker® lightweight virtualization technologies, allowing you to operate multiple isolated Linux® systems on the TS-431XeU as well as download apps from the built-in Docker Hub® Registry for unlimited containerized applications. What s better, Container Station supports the QIoT Containers platform that helps quickly structure your IoT environment and deployment on your private IoT cloud, boosting microservices and modernizing legacy applications to drive more business opportunities.

QTS - Intelligent NAS Operating System

With multiple applications and functions, QTS enhances management efficiency, personal productivity, entertainment, and much more. The user-friendly QTS OS features an intelligent desktop that allows you to find desired functions quickly, monitor important system information on a real-time basis, open multiple application windows to run multiple tasks concurrently with greater working efficiency, and provides a built-in App Center with install-on-demand apps to extend NAS functionality. Empowered by intelligent agent services that simplify system operations and management, QTS breaks down barriers of devices, platforms, and geography to provide you with the optimum cloud experience.

Optimized Collaboration with Cross-Platform File Sharing and Sync

The TS-431XeU centrally stores data, logs, and various files, and supports SMB/CIFS, NFS, and AFP protocols for file sharing across Windows, Mac, Linux/UNIX networks. Coupled with Qsync - a utility that turns a QNAP NAS into a safe, high-capacity data center for file synchronization - files uploaded to the TS-431XeU will be made available for linked devices, such as computers, laptops, or mobile devices. You can sync shared folders and team folders for group file sharing, greatly enhancing the flexibility of team projects and collaboration.

Well-Rounded Backup & Disaster Recovery Solutions

The TS-431XeU offers flexible backup solutions for Windows and Mac users. It also supports Hybrid Backup Sync that consolidates backup, restoration, and synchronization functions (using RTRR, rsync, FTP, CIFS/SMB) for easily transferring data to local, remote, and cloud storage spaces as a comprehensive data storage and disaster recovery plan. Supported cloud services include Amazon Glacier, Azure Storage, Google Cloud Storage, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive for Business, Dropbox, Amazon Drive, Yandex Disk, Box, hubiC, and Amazon S3/OpenStack Swift/WebDAV compatible services.

Comprehensive Security to Protect Your Data

In open netwo